Have Perut Will Travel...: BEN Day 1 │ BENTONG in 24 Hours

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Saturday, 27 April 2024

BEN Day 1 │ BENTONG in 24 Hours

Bentong in 24 Hours

It had been a while since we last posted a video. In that time, I turned 55, which meant I was finally entitled to the nest egg safeguarded in the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF). We settled a few outstanding financial matters — leaving us debt free — and kept the rest in EPF.

As a birthday present to myself, and to celebrate “semi retirement,” I splurged a little on a second hand Mercedes Benz B180. Christened BiBi (for Baby Benz), she became the newest addition to the family. A mini SUV, BiBi suited us perfectly as a family of three. Paying for her in cash meant we remained debt free.

Breakfast in Bentong

This fine Saturday morning, BiBi took us from our condo to Bentong, an hour’s drive away. We left at 8:10am, and precisely sixty minutes later arrived at Yat Heng Kopitiam along Jalan Dato Poo Yew Choy. A little off the beaten path, this diminutive coffee shop had a few stalls offering breakfast dishes.

After a while, we ordered:

Loh Shi Fun for Cat
Kueh Teow Thng for Brendan
Roti Canai Wrap for me
Hot Salted Coffee
2 Iced Salted Tea

Our first meal in Bentong came to RM41.00 (≈ USD9/EUR8). Fair enough — though we didn’t appreciate the shop’s signature salted beverages and will avoid them in future.

Visiting My Parents

We then drove a short distance to Taman Bentong Makmur to visit my parents. There was plenty of catching up to do, and by the time we emerged, it was already lunchtime.

At their recommendation, we headed to KaiFan Mixed Rice along Jalan Tan Sri San Siang Sun. We browsed the plentiful dishes and settled on our mixed rice platters, which came to RM28.50 (≈ USD/EUR6).

Checking In

After lunch, we made a very short drive to Hotel Kristal and checked into our rooms. We booked two double rooms for RM323.28 (≈ USD68/EUR63) a night.

The rooms were spacious and well appointed — do check out our older video on this excellent hotel.

We took a nap and awoke from our long afternoon siesta at 6:00pm, leaving the hotel half an hour later in search of dinner.

Dinner & Bentong Walk

We eventually ended up at our perennial favourite, Aik Kee Restaurant. Be sure to catch our upcoming video on Aik Kee.

After dinner, we took a stroll along Bentong Walk for some night time sightseeing — stay tuned for our upcoming video featuring K Pop dance performances and a charming coffee hall.

The Next Morning

We woke at 6:30am and eventually had breakfast at Bentong’s Kopitiam before embarking on a market hunt. Upcoming videos will cover these events.

We returned to the hotel to pack up and checked out at 10:00am.

More Bentong stories coming soon — this was just the start of our 24 hour escape!